The Drawl - Southern Miss Alumni Association

When the school’s name was changed to State Teachers College in 1924,
the newspaper became Teachers College News. In 1926, Teachers College News
editor Olen Brewer initiated an effort to enlarge the paper and change its
name.
Brewer smoked a pipe labeled “Student Prince,” and suggested that name
for the paper. His suggestion was not practical, however, because of the popular
contemporary play by that name. Brewer then approached two Austrian
professors who were on the faculty at that time and asked about a foreign
word for “prince.” One of the professors supplied the word “printz.”
After much discussion and debate, the name The Student Printz was presented
to the student body for a vote. The new name was approved, and the
first issue of the Printz was published in January 1927.
Yearbook: The school’s yearbook made its debut in 1914 as the Neka
Camon, a Native American term meaning “The New Spirit.” With the exceptions
of 1918 and 1919, the Neka Camon was
published annually through 1931. Publication was
halted from 1932 through 1937 due in large part to
the Great Depression. Publication was resumed in
1938 and has been continuous since that time. In
1940, when the school’s name was changed to
Mississippi Southern College, the yearbook’s
name was changed to The Southerner, and so it
remains today.
The Drawl: The student handbook was called
The Drawl from approximately 1954 to 1978.
There are no existing records to indicate the
reason for adopting The Drawl as the handbook’s
name, but an inference can be drawn from the fact that
the school’s name included the word “Southern,” and what do Southerners
do if not drawl? The first student handbook was called simply Normal
College Hand Book. When the school’s name was changed to State Teachers
College, the handbook was renamed the Handbook of State Teachers College.
From 1936 to approximately 1940, the name Freshlite was used for the
handbook. When the school underwent its second name change in 1940, the
handbook was renamed the Handbook of Mississippi Southern College.
From about 1980 to 1988, the handbook was simply the Student
Handbook. But in 1989, it was renamed Southern Dawn and remained so
until 1994 when it reverted to the Student Handbook. Over the years, the
handbooks have been published by the school’s chapters of the YMCA and
YWCA, the Student Government Association (also known as the Associated
Student Body), and the Division of Student Affairs.
The Drawl was revived in 2002 by the Alumni Association to ensure that
the traditions and history of Southern Miss are passed on to all future
Golden Eagles.
Athletics
44 The Drawl – Centennial Edition